I happily would kiss all ten toes on the feet of anyone who'd call me each day and just tell me what to cook.
You'd think I never go near my stove.
But I do.
I can remember I cook. I just can't remember what I cook.
Somewhere between the last time I fix a dish and today, I experience total recipe amnesia.
I bump into cabinets. Spill things out of the fridge. Stop people in the hallway and ask where I am.
Not really.
But I do get panicky that it's only Monday and I've got nothing. And, worse yet, five more suppers loom ominously between me and Sunday!
A psychology textbook somewhere probably has the stats on how many of us experience this. But I'm not finding it. Just guessing I'm not the only one in this gravy boat.
So to help my fellow sufferers, I thought I'd share a couple of my go-to recipes that are easy and family friendly. Even my picky eaters like these!
Thank you Grandma Jeanne for the basic recipe for Creamy Italian Chicken. I changed it up a bit, because I think the chicken gets a flavor boost when it crockpot marinates in the Italian dressing for a few hours.
Yum!
The roll recipe came with my bread machine. But don't tell anyone. The rolls are so highly addictive I could get arrested.
Bon Appétit!
Crockpot Creamy Italian Chicken
Ingredients:
4-6
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I
use only Smart Chicken—who wants to eat a dumb bird?)
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup water
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix
1/2 cup water
8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken soup
Directions:
1. Place chicken in slow cooker. Stab each piece a few times with a knife or fork.
2. Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours.
*4. Combine cream cheese and soup until well blended. (If the cream cheese is not soft enough to mix, then simply microwave the soup and cream cheese for 2 to 3 minutes.) Pour over
chicken. Use a fork or spoon to whisk together the runny and the thick
mixtures, but don’t worry too much about getting them combined. Slosh the mixture over the chicken.
5. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hours.
Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.
*To make calorie-friendly, to-die-for chicken meat for sandwiches or pitas, just omit the cream cheese and soup.
I Could Get Arrested Dinner Rolls
Add the following ingredients in order to the tub of a bread machine:
1 cup warm water
2 Tbsp butter or margarine (I use Brummel & Brown—love it!)
1 egg
3 1/4 cup bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp quick acting yeast (I use Best Choice blue 3-packet)
1. Choose the bread machine's dough cycle (it's 9 on mine), and let it run its course.
2. When the cycle is finished (about 1:45 hours), using floured hands (the dough will be pretty sticky—I lightly flour my hands between each roll), roll the dough into 15 balls. Place rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with a dish/tea towel.
3. Set your oven to 375.
4. Let the rolls rise until almost double in size—45 minutes to an hour. (If you are in a hurry, turn your oven onto 175 and put the covered dough in there. Put a wooden spoon in the door to jar it open so the heat can escape and not cook the rolls. Then let the rolls rise for as long as you have—20 to 30 minutes is good. REMOVE THE TOWEL before baking!)
5. When the rolls have risen, carefully remove the towel and bake for 10 to12 minutes on 375. (I begin checking the rolls at 10 minutes.) They are ready when the tops are golden brown.
2 Tbsp butter or margarine (I use Brummel & Brown—love it!)
1 egg
3 1/4 cup bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp quick acting yeast (I use Best Choice blue 3-packet)
1. Choose the bread machine's dough cycle (it's 9 on mine), and let it run its course.
2. When the cycle is finished (about 1:45 hours), using floured hands (the dough will be pretty sticky—I lightly flour my hands between each roll), roll the dough into 15 balls. Place rolls on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover lightly with a dish/tea towel.
3. Set your oven to 375.
4. Let the rolls rise until almost double in size—45 minutes to an hour. (If you are in a hurry, turn your oven onto 175 and put the covered dough in there. Put a wooden spoon in the door to jar it open so the heat can escape and not cook the rolls. Then let the rolls rise for as long as you have—20 to 30 minutes is good. REMOVE THE TOWEL before baking!)
5. When the rolls have risen, carefully remove the towel and bake for 10 to12 minutes on 375. (I begin checking the rolls at 10 minutes.) They are ready when the tops are golden brown.
Ha, this was great!! You have me pegged on this story, especially when I'm trying not to compete with the school lunch menu :) I am looking forward to trying these recipes, thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for taking time to commiserate with me, Kathy! I knew I probably would find--through this post--a sisterhood of amnesic chefs. And competing with school lunches...argh! :)
DeleteI'll be trying the chicken recipe soon. I'm really tired of my recipe choices and need something different. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope you and your husband enjoy the chicken. It is so easy to get in a cooking rut. The chicken recipe makes a lot of the "gravy," so I oftentimes just use one can of the soup and half a block of cream cheese. Also, I never use real cream cheese--always Neufetchel, as it generally tastes the same but has less fat.
Delete